Bottle fitment



E. GREENE BOTTLE FITMENT Oct. 19, 1937.

Filed Nov. 50, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. GREENE BOTTLE FITMENT Oct. 19, 1937.

Filed Nov. 50, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Edged/01% .G'rerze Patented (Jet. 1 9, 1937 PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE FITMENT Edgeworth Greene, Upper MontclainN. J. Application November 30, 1935, Serial No. 52,300

. r 15 Claims. This invention in certain broader aspects relates to bottle closures 'ofthe type in which there is a l interlocked With the cover member and a skirt portion spun around the neck of the bottle below the cover member, the orifice of the cover member being guarded by a cap which must be severed or torn apart in order to permit emptying of the bottle. I have shown and described structures g of this kind in my copending application for LettersPatent of the United States Serial No. 38,388, and the presentinvention comprises a carrying forward. of what I there disclose-d. v

An object of the invention is to provide a cap overlying the discharge orifice or'mouth of ,a bott1e,and having a skirt portion, part of which is entered into and positively locked in the material of the bottle (or in a member that in effect forms part of the bottle) so that after the cap is ruptured a tell-tale portion of it, difficult to eliminate, will remain in or associated with the bottle. Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure involving the combinationwith a'cover member and ferrule assembly such as shown in the aforesaid application, of a cap member for closing the orifice of; the cover, such cap member having a locked-in relation to the cover member, and the. arrangement being preferably such that parts of the cap and parts of the ferrule are interlocked with each other, and the said interlocked parts interengage with the cover meme her in such fashion that though the cap may be removed from the cover member to permit emptying of the bottle, and though the ferrule may be for the. most part removed from around the bottle neck and from the cover member, those portions of the ferrule and cap member that have the locked-in relation with the cover member afore- .45 said will remain-so-sec'urely held in the cover refillable features are not involved. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap member which possesses features of construction that make it especially useful for combination with a bottle alone, or with a ferrule and a cover member in the aforementioned lockedin relation, but which possesses features that give it an importance of its own aside from such relationship; this cap is, as will be explained, of the rip type, so that it must be destroyed in order that the orifice of the cover member may be opened for discharge of the bottle contents.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

,Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a bot tle neck with a stopper embodying the present invention applied thereto; I

, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a ferrule and cap in pro-assembled relation to each other and to the cover member of a bottle stopper, before they are permanently interlocked with said cover member; all of said elements being supported by or on a holder or anvil;

Fig.3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts with the cap and ferrule interlocked with each other and locked into the cover member, but with non-refillable elements omitted; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a somewhat different form of cover member, cap and ferrule;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the cover member, ferrule and cap as in Fig. 4, but without the valve casing and other parts of a non-refillable stopper combination shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the guard member shown in Fig. 4;

Fig; 7 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 8 is a detail with parts broken away illustrating the assembly of the two-part cover member that appears in the previous figures;

Fig. 9 is an elevation of a form of cap utilizable as part of my invention, dotted lines indicating the position of certain parts of the cap when the same has been ruptured;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the unruptured cap, the view being taken substantially at right angles to the Fig. 1 position;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 'I|-|I of Fig. 12;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the subject-matter of Fig. 10, and

., 13 is a plan view showing the blank from in the undercut slot.

which is formed up the cap illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, l4 indicates generally a portion of the neck of a bottle, such bottle neck having a shoulder l5 and a flange I6 spaced therefrom below the shoulder. The stopper secured to the bottle neck in this form of embodiment of the invention is made up of a valve casing I! having a valve seat I8 surrounding the opening IS; a flat disc-like valve member 20 made of some suitable buoyant material, a weight 2|, a guard member 22, a two-part cover member 23, and a ferrule 24. The valve casing, the valve member, the weight and the guard are constructed and related more or less in accordance with the teaching of my copending application Serial No. 8,605. Inasmuch as these parts have been described in detail and claimed in said application, further description thereofhas been omitted herein. The valve casing l'l ,is provided with an annular flange 2 5, resting on top of a sealing gasket 26 which is positioned directly on the top of the bottle neck.

The orificed cover member is made up of a main portion 21 and a secondary ring portion 28; The-main portion 21 has a tubular neck 29, the upper portion of the tube being externally threaded as at 30, and a body part 3l, the top surface of which is stepped as shown at 32. Ex tending downwardly from the body part 3| are a number of spacedlugs 33' between which are arcuate shaped channels 34; The ring portion 28 has its lower surface stepped as indicated at 35 to engage the stepped upper surface of the member 3|. This ring portion 28, however, does not completely engage the portions of the member 3|, butis so'shaped as to provide a substantially annular longitudinally extending narrow space 36 leading into a horizontal space 31. These two spaces form in eifect an undercut slot extending completely around the cover member. The two parts 28' and 3| may be provided with registrymeans such as indicated at 38 in Fig. 8,;

such means serving to aid in assembling the two parts into acomplete cover member and to assure that the parts will be registered properly.

If as is preferable the cover-member is made of some frangible material, such as porcelain, etc., the two parts 23 and 3| may be permanently locked together during the firing of the device by" gether and effectively. unite them into-a single member. Furthermore, the guard 22 may be permanentlysecured directly to the. lugs 33 by applying a coating of glazing material between c0n-.

tacting partsuof these respective members, so that the guard is secured to the cover member, also during the, firing thereof. If the component parts of thecoyer member are made, of other materials, various modes of fastening the two parts together can be used.

The ferrule 24 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is composed of a skirt portion 39 (Fig. 2), a top part 40 shaped to conform to the top of the ring 28, and adepending annular flange 4! of such diameter as to be capable of freely entering the space 35 In the arrangement shown, the top part 48 is provided, with a number of spaced openings 42 so situated therein as to extend into the vertical flange 4|. Thus the top of this flange acquires a number of arcuate shaped depressions separated by narrow strips of material, as and for the purposes explained in my copending application Serial No. 38,388.

The numeral 43 indicates a closure cap for the tubular part or spout of the cover member, this cap having a depending annular skirt 44, the lower end of the skirt being outwardly beaded as indicated at 45. The skirt portion of the cap is of a diameter to fit snugly within the flange 4| of the ferrule, with the bead 45 extending under the lower edge of the flange 4| when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, where the concentrically arranged flange 4i and the lower part of the'cap skirt are seen extending into the annular opening 36 of the cover member. In this figure the elements are shown supported by or on a tubular holder or anvil 10, which is so shaped that the top, (annular in form) serves as a table on which the bottom surface of the cover member 3i rests. The inner wall of the tubular holder or anvil 10 is provided with longitudinal grooves H in whichthe depending lugs 33 fit to-restrain the cover member against rotation relative to tofore associated and contacting end portions of the cap-skirt and ferrule-flange forced laterally beyond the annular part 36 of the undercut slot. Since the inner wall of this portion is slightly inclined outwardly, and curved into the horizontal part 31, and since this inner wall is smooth or preferably glazed, in effect a die is formed, so that continued'application of force results in the expansion of the associated parts of the ferrule and capinto the horizontal leg 31 ofthe slot, with the result thatby the time the top of the ferrule is in contact with the top of ring 28, and the liner 44 of cap 44 is'down in sealing relation with the top of the bottle, the associated parts of cap and ferrule are curledinto the undercut part of the slot in the fashion indicated in Figs, 1 and 3. a

The cap-skirt may be provided with an annular score or weakened line 46, located below thethreads 30 and above the slot 33, and the skirt above this line 45 maybe rolled into conforming engagement with threads 30. the lugs 33in the grooves H prevents rotation of the assembly during the rolling of threads in the cap-skirt. The scoreor weakened line 48 maybe provided in the-cap-skirt prior to or subsequent to the thread rolling operation as circumstances may dictate. As a result, if the cap be forcibly twisted in the unscrewing direction, a rupture will occur along the line-46, and the cap may be then backed off the threads 30 to per mit pouring from-the bottle; and of course the cap may thereafter be screwedon'for temporary closure purposes. I

In Fig. 3 the arrangement is similar to tha shown in Fig. 1 with the exception that the nonrefillable elements have been omitted; it being contemplated that a cover member for a bottle may be used without these elements. This arrangement serves as a very eificient cover for a bottle rendering tampering with the contents of a bottle prior to legitimate opening thereof I ingly will have sidesurfaces to readily enter into r 2,096,426 shown in Figs. 9-13, and serves to hold in place,

andprotectagainst tampering, a cork 48. In this j figure also, the ring 28 is provided with the annular series of projections 49 that extend through the several openings 42 of the ferrule, as and for guard 50 of Fig. 4, and its relation to the cover member 3|. Guard 50 (see Figs. 6 and '7) is 'provided with three laterally extending spaced lugs |,shaped substantially as shown, that fit into corresponding recesses in the lower face of member 3!, and are, cemented therein by the application of glaze material and firing. 7 Lugs 5| take the place of the lugs 33 of Fig. 1, and accordand thereafter frictionally engage the inner wall U. SzLetters Patent No. 2,001,609.

7 Fig. 5 is like Fig. 4, but since it does not involve the fnon-refillable" features there is no guard 50. a This construction can be utilized in the same manner as that shown in Fig. 3, previously described. I f 1 Ihave referredto the cap 41 of Fig. 4, which is shown in detail in Figs. 9-13.. This cap is made from a blank such as shown in Fig. 13, and comprises similar body portions 53"with' an intermediate portion 54 between them defined by parallel spacedslits (or possibly weakened lines). 55; opposite symmetrically disposed flexible portions 56,

Y and extensions 51 of the portions 56, the extensions, 5'! being joinedto the portions 56 preferablyby. weakened lines 58. There are also two tear-off tabs 59 extending from the main body of the blank substantially in line with the median section 54, the root portions of these tear-off tabs 59 being separated from the adjacent sections 53 by means ofnotches 60. The blank of Fig. 13 is formed up so that the sections 53' and intermeditioned. In assembling, to form a unitary stopper for subsequent attachment to a bottle, the ferrule is slipped over the cap, somewhat as in Fig. 1,

but instead of the end of the ferrule-flange 4| coming to .rest against a cap-bead 45 as in that figure, the end of the flange is held in the caphooks 6 I. The assembly is now at the stage corresponding to Fig. 2, the cap and ferrule being positioned over the pouring nozzle of the cover member (the latter being supported on an anvil and having previously been fitted with the cork 48) ,and the interengaged portions of ferrule and cap pushed down. by pressure on the flange, the lattercarrying thecap portion with it and into the annular slot 36 and thereafter these parts are expanded and curled into the lateral extension 31 thereof. In order to open the bottle for pouring, one has only to take hold of one of the tearoff tabs 59 and pull upwardly and then across the top of the cap, thus approximately severing the cap into two parts, which may be easily torn off (Fig. 9, dotted lines), from those parts of the cap that are buried and remain in the undercut slot of the cover member. Access to the tear-off is made easy by the notches 60.

The cap is made of readily tearable sheet metal, preferably aluminum about .008 thick, and the metal of the ferrule in this as in every embodiment of the invention is of such gauge, (#26, when of aluminum) that when the interengaged parts of ferrule and cap are forced down into the slot of the cover member they cannot be removed therefrom without prohibitive difficulty, and remain as tell-tale and preventive of re-use of the cover member with a new cap and/or ferrule. The cap may be embossed or lithographed or the like so as to carry advertising matter; and it is contemplated that the cap may constitute a revenue 'or tax stamp, with text running from one end to the other of the longest dimension of the cap, and also possibly including the ferrule, such stamp being necessarily destroyed when the cap is ripped off in opening the bottle.

I have previously indicated and it will be understood that a cap like any of those shown may be entered into and positively held in substantially irremovable relation to a bottle at or adjacent its. discharge orifice, without any interlocked or otherwise associated ferrule.

. It is to be understood that the cap arrangement shown in Fig. 1 can be provided with hooks similar to those shown on the cap 41 instead of being provided at its lower edge with a bead. Furthermore, this cap 30 may have two depending finger portions similar to the depending portions of the cap 47. Also it is to be understood that a cover member attached to a bottle in the manner shown becomes in effect a part of the bottle, so that it may be said that the cap is anchored in a part of the bottle. The invention also contemplates that undercut slots may possibly be provided directly in the material of the bottle for the reception of the lower edge of a cap as shown.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides novel closure devices for bottles and for bottle cover members, which closure caps are so secured to the bottle or to a cover member that a part of the cap remains permanently engaged therewith. The invention is capable of modifications other than those shown in the drawings, in view of which any limitations imposed thereupon are to be such only as are set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bottle of an orificed cover member therefor provided with an annular slot in its outer surface, a ferrule for holding the cover member in place and having a flange entered into said slot, and a cap for the cover member having a skirt portion interengaged with that portion of the ferrule flange that is entered into said slot.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the slot is undercut.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the cap' skirt is annular and exteriorly beaded at its lower end, and in which the lower end of the ferrul-e flange cooperates with the said bead.

4. The combination of claim 1, in which cap skirt portions are provided with exterior end hooks and the'lower end of the ferrule flange is engaged in the hooks.

5. A preliminarily assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover member having a slot therein and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said cap having a portion thereof locked in said slot and having another portion separable from the locked-in portion to uncover said orifice.

6. A preliminarily assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover member having an orifice insaid cover member, saidtcap having a portion thereof locked in said slot and having another portion separable from the locked-in portion to uncover said orifice.

7. A preliminarily. assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover member having an annular undercut slot therein and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said cap having an annular skirt portion thereof locked in said slot and having another portion separable from the locked-in portion to uncover said orifice.

8. A preliminarily assembled bottle'fitment comprising an orificed cover'memberi having an undercut slot therein and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said cap having depending skirt portions thereof locked in said slot and having another portion separable from the locked-in portions to uncover said orifice;

'9. A preliminarily assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover memberihaving an annular undercut slot therein, an attachment ferrule having a skirt portion and an annular depending flange portion, and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said cap having an annular skirt portion, the depending flange portion of said ferrule and theannular skirt portion of said cap being locked in said undercut slot, said cap having another portion separable from the locked-in skirt portion.

10. A preliminarily assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover member having an annular undercut slottherein, an attachment ferrule having a skirt portion and an annular depending flange portion, and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said cap having depending skirt portions, the depending flange portion of said ferrule and the depending skirt portions of said cap being locked in said undercut slot, said cap having another portion separable from the locked-in skirt portions.

11. A preliminarily assembled bottle fitment comprising an orificed cover member having an undercut slot therein anda closure cap for, the;

annular undercut slot therein, an attachment ferrule having a skirt portion and an annular depending flange portion, and a closure cap for the orificein said cover member, said cap having an annular skirt portion, with an external bead comprising an orificed cover member having an annular undercut slot therein, an attachment ferrule having a skirt portion. and an annular depending flange portion, and a closure cap for the orifice in said cover member, said-cap having depending skirtportions, external hooks formed at'the lower edges of said skirt portions, thedepending flange portion of said ferrule and the skirt portions of said cap being locked in said undercut slot with the lower edge of the ferrule fiange fitting in said hooks, said cap having an--- other portion separable from the locked-in skirt portions.

13. ,A cap of the kind described comprising a generally inverted cup shaped member having weakened lines in the-top'thereof defining a zone extending diametrically across the top of the cup, oppositely disposed tear-off tabs extending downwardly from the top of said member in line with said zone and oppositely disposed side-Wall extensionsextending below the ends of said tabs on opposite sides of said zone, each extension being provided with a transverse weakened line above itslower end. i

14. The device of claim. 13 in which the longitudinal edges of the tear-off tabs and of the ex- 

